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APA Citation Guide

Books & eBooks

The 7th edition of APA does not differentiate between the format of the books, print or electronic. Cite both the same way. If you have an open-access eBook, you may provide the URL at the end, provided it directly takes you to the full text without logging in.

Template

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book (xth ed.)*. Publisher. https://doi.org/XXXXXX

*Omit edition if book is a first edition or does not have an edition statement.

Examples

George, M. W. (2008). The elements of library research: What every student needs to know. Princeton University Press.

(George, 2008)

Kleiser, G. (2008). Fifteen thousand useful phrases. Funk & Wagnalls; Project Gutenberg. http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/18362 (Original work published 1917)

(Kleiser, 1917/2008)

Rottenberg, A. T. (2003). Elements of argument: A text and reader (7th ed.). Bedford/St. Martin's.

(Rottenberg, 2003)

Samanez-Larkin, G. R. (Ed.). (2019). The aging brain: Functional adaptation across adulthood. American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000143-000

(Samanez-Larkin, 2019)

Note: When citing in-text, it can be difficult if your eBook does not have a page number (most PDF books do). In this case, try to get as specific as possible by mentioning chapter, section, and paragraph numbers.

One of the author's main points is that "people don't rise from nothing" (Gladwell, 2008, Chapter 1, Section 2, para. 5).

Source: Publication Manual, 10.2 (examples 20-26; example 31); Book References [APA Style]

Books with an Editor

Template

Editor, A. A. (Ed.). (Year). Title of book. Publisher.

Example

Johnson, C. L., & Tuite, C. (Eds.). (2009). A companion to Jane Austen. Wiley-Blackwell.

(Johnson & Tuite, 2009)

Source: Publication Manual, 10.2 (example 25)

Translated or Illustrated Books

Only include the illustrator if the pictures are essential to understanding content (e.g., picture books, graphic novels) and if they are listed on the front cover. If the author is also the illustrator, credit them twice.

Template

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book (B. B. Name, Illus. or Trans.). Publisher.

Examples

Homer. (1990) The Iliad (R. Fagles, Trans.). Viking.

Napoli, D. J. (2014). Hands and hearts (A. Bates, Illus.). Abrams Books for Young Readers.

(Homer, 1990; Napoli, 2014)

Source: Children’s Book or Other Illustrated Book References [APA Style]How to Cite Translated Works [APA Style]

Chapters in an Edited Book

Template

Author of Chapter, A. A. & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of chapter or entry. In A. Editor, B. Editor, & C. Editor (Eds.), Title of book (pp. xxx–xxx). Publisher.

Example

Shephered, S. (1988). Shakespeare's private drawer: Shakespeare and homosexuality. In G. Holderness (Ed.), The Shakespeare myth (pp. 96–110). Manchester University Press.

(Shephered, 1988).

Source: Publication Manual, 10.3 (examples 38-46); Edited Book Chapter References [APA Style]

Anthologies

Whole Anthology

Template

Editor, A. A. (Ed.). (Year). Title of book. Publisher.

Example

Grene, D. & Lattimore, R. (Eds.). (1959). The complete Greek tragedies. University of Chicago Press.

(Grene & Lattimore, 1959)


Work in an Anthology

Template

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of work. In A. A. Editor (Ed.), Title of book (pp. XX–XX). Publisher. (Original work published Year)

Example

Ibsen, Henrik. (2002). A doll's house. In R. S. Gwynn (Ed.), Drama: A pocket anthology (2nd ed., pp. 209–277). Longman. (Original work published 1879)

(Ibsen, 1879/2002)

Source: Publication Manual, 10.2 (example 34) and 10.3 (example 46)

Entries in a Reference Book (e.g., encyclopedia, dictionary)

Single Authored Book

Template

Author, A. A. (Year). Entry name. In Title of book (xth ed., p. XX). Publisher.

Example

Johnson, W. J. (2009). Gotra. In A dictionary of Hinduism (p. 131). Oxford University Press.

(Johnson, 2009)


Edited Book with Entry Author

Always look carefully for a byline/author; this is usually at either the beginning or the end of an entry.

Template

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of entry. In A. Editor (Ed.), Title of reference work (xth ed., Vol. xx, pp. xxx–xxx). Publisher.

Example

Hodges, W. (2006). First-order logic. In D. M. Borchert (Ed.), The encyclopedia of philosophy (2nd ed., Vol. 3, pp. 639–659). Thomson Gale.

(Hodges, 2006)


Edited Book with No Entry Author

Template

Title of entry. (Year). In A. Editor (Ed.), Title of reference work (xth ed., Vol. xx, pp. xxx–xxx). Publisher.

Example

Southeast Asia. (2003). In The new encyclopaedia Britannica: Macropedia (15th ed., Vol. 27, pp. 711–794). Encyclopaedia Britannica.

("Southeast Asia," 2003)

Source: Publication Manual, 10.3 (examples 47-48); Dictionary Entry References [APA Style]

Entries in Online Encyclopedias

Template

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of entry. In A. Editor (Ed.), Title of reference work (xx ed.). Website. http://xxxxx

Example 1: Individual Author

Masolo, D. (2006). African sage philosophy. In E. N. Zalta (Ed.), The Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy (Fall 2008 ed.). Stanford University. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/african-sage/

(Masolo, 2006)

Example 2: Group Author

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. (n.d.) Antisemitism. In Holocaust encyclopedia. Retrieved October 7, 2019, from https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/antisemitism

(United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, n.d.)

Note: If the author is the same as the website, omit the website component. If an encyclopedia is continuously updated and does not have an archived version, include the retrieval date.

Source: Publication Manual, 10.3 (examples 47-48)

Foreign Language Books

Template

Author, A. A. (Year). Foreign title [Translated title]. Publisher.

Example

Paz, O. (1959). El laberinto de la soledad [The labyrinth of solitude]. Fondo de Cultura Económica.

(Paz, 1959)

Source: Publication Manual, 10.2 (examples 27-28)

Sacred Texts

Religious works are considered to not have a specific author.

Template

Title of religious work (A. A. Translator, Trans.). (Year). Publisher. (Original work published Year)

Examples

The Green Bible: New Revised Standard Version. (2008). HarperOne.

(The Green Bible, Luke 12:49)

The Qur'an (M. A. S. Abdel Haleem, Trans.) (2010). Oxford University Press

(The Qur'an, 5:3–4)

Note: Use chapter/verses for in-text citations as opposed to page numbers.

Sources: Publication Manual, 9.42 and 10.2 (example 35); Religious Work References [APA Style]

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